(ANSA) - KARPACZ, 06 SET - Sports diplomacy is a "powerful tool in the hands of governments, capable of conveying positive values ;;and promoting a vision of global unity, but at the same time subject to manipulation for less noble ends". This was stated by the director of the Research Center of the Rome Business School and expert in sports governance, Valerio Mancini, during the discussion panel 'The great game - What purpose is sports diplomacy today?' during the 33rd Karpacz Economic Forum. Mancini is co-author together with Narcís Pallarès-Domènech and Alessio Postiglione of the book Calcio, Politica e Potere (Mondo Nuovo, 2023), translated this year into Spanish and Catalan. "Football, with its ability to reach billions of people - he underlined - is used to strengthen the image of autocratic states that seek to legitimize themselves through the democratic and inclusive values ;;of sport. Qatar, for example, uses Paris Saint -Germain to attract investments from Europe: even China has undertaken a vast project to create the richest championship in the world, with the aim of winning the World Cup by 2050, in parallel with its plan to become the main world power" "From the major European championships to the World Cup - concluded Mancini - football is now an integral part of global political dynamics. Not only does it strengthen national identity, but it allows countries to project their influence beyond their borders". (ANSA).